PSTN & Broadband Line Audit

• Work Specification: PSTN & Broadband Line Audit (Contractor)
• 1. Purpose

The purpose of this engagement is to undertake a comprehensive audit of all PSTN and broadband lines across Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) to:

• Validate whether each line is still required
• Identify ownership and accountability
• Confirm supplier/provider details
• Produce a clear, evidenced recommendation for retention or cessation

The audit will support cost reduction, service optimisation, and governance compliance.

• Compile a complete inventory of:
• PSTN lines
• Broadband circuits (including DSL, FTTC, FTTP, leased lines)
• Reconcile data from:
• Existing supplier invoices
• Internal records / CMDB (where available)
• Local site validation where required

For each identified line, the contractor must capture:

• Line reference / circuit ID
• Physical location / site
• Business use (if identifiable)
• Associated service/system (if known)
• Service owner (named individual or role)
• Site contact / suite contact
• Supplier / provider
• Contract status (if known)
• Cost (where available)

For each line:

• Engage with service owners / site contacts to confirm:
• Whether the line is still required
• Whether the service can be rationalised, migrated, or ceased
• Document:
• Confirmed required lines
• Lines with no identifiable owner
• Lines confirmed as redundant

The contractor shall produce the following:

A structured dataset (Excel or agreed format) containing:

• Full list of all lines identified
• All captured attributes (as outlined above)
• Status classification:
• Keep
• Cease
• Under Review / Unknown

A written report including:

• Summary of total lines identified
• Breakdown by status (Keep / Cease / Unconfirmed)
• Key risks and issues (e.g. orphaned lines, duplicate services)
• Opportunities for cost savings
• Recommendations for rationalisation

• Prioritised list of lines recommended for cease
• Grouped by:
• Supplier
• Site
• Service impact risk

The contractor must maintain a robust and auditable evidence base, including:

• Record of all communications with service owners
• Decision logs for each line (retain vs cease)
• Supporting evidence for decisions (email confirmations, system checks, etc.)
• Version-controlled audit dataset

This aligns to LCC expectations for audit transparency, traceability, and governance, including:

• Full audit logs
• Evidence chain for decisions
• Clear ownership and change tracking

The contractor shall adopt a structured audit approach, including:

• Data discovery and reconciliation
• Stakeholder engagement
• Validation and challenge of existing records
• Evidence-based decision making
• Iterative refinement of the audit dataset

Audit activities must be clearly documented and repeatable, with defined roles, deliverables, and evidence requirements

• Total duration: 3 months
• Indicative phases:
• Phase 1: Discovery & data collection
• Phase 2: Validation & stakeholder engagement
• Phase 3: Final classification, reporting, and recommendations

Where sufficient time remains within the engagement:

• The contractor shall:
• Initiate soft cease requests with suppliers for lines confirmed as redundant
• Track status of cease requests
• Report progress and any constraints (e.g. contract lock-in, dependencies)
• All cease actions must:
• Be approved by LCC prior to submission
• Maintain a full audit trail of approvals and communications

• Weekly progress updates to LCC lead
• Regular reporting including:
• Progress against total lines
• Issues requiring escalation
• Emerging savings opportunities
• Final presentation of findings and recommendations

• Deliver all audit activities
• Maintain audit records and evidence
• Engage stakeholders
• Produce all outputs and reports

• Provide access to available data sources
• Facilitate introductions to service owners / site contacts
• Approve cease recommendations

The engagement will be deemed successful where:

• A complete and validated inventory of lines exists
• Each line has:
• A confirmed status (keep/cease/unknown)
• Identified ownership (where possible)
• A clear list of lines to be ceased is agreed
• A full audit trail is maintained
• Opportunities for cost savings are clearly evidenced